by Rose Pressey
“Wait. So there’s no way to get them back?” I asked.
“There is a way but we just have to find the spell.” He crossed his arms in front of his chest.
“Is it in the book?” I asked as I exchanged a look with both men.
“Only you can tell me that. I don’t have the book, remember?” He gave a forced smile.
“Yeah, well, you wanted to destroy the book, remember?” I asked.
“I’ve changed my mind,” he said firmly.
I stared at him. “Why would you do that?”
“I have my reasons. Please let me know if you need any help with the spell.” He turned around to leave.
“Liam, wait.” I ran after him, but he didn’t stop.
Nicolas had followed after me across the room. He grabbed my arm. “Hallie, please. Why don’t you give me the book?” His voice was barely above a whisper. “I don’t want you involved in this anymore.”
My head was spinning. “Why do you both insist on playing these games with me? First you didn’t want to destroy the book and Liam did. Now you want to destroy it and he doesn’t. I don’t understand.”
“Sometimes things change, Hallie.” There was an underlying sensitivity in his voice.
I stared at him. “Sometimes they shouldn’t change, Nicolas. I need to check the book for whatever spell this is that Liam is talking about.”
Annabelle entered the room and eased the plates of food onto the table. She shrugged and mouthed, “What’s going on?”
“I don’t think anyone will be eating breakfast this morning.” I grabbed Annabelle’s hand. “Come on, Annabelle. Why don’t you help me look for something?”
“Does it require going upstairs? Because I still can’t do that.” She waved her hand.
Oh yeah. I’d forgotten about her fear.
“Halloween, please.” Nicolas pleaded with his eyes.
“Why don’t you two sit down and eat. Hallie, surely whatever you have to do can wait, right?” Annabelle pulled a chair out and pointed for me to sit.
I hesitated. “I guess it can wait a few more minutes.”
I’d already wasted the morning. What was a few more minutes?
“I’d love to stay,” Nicolas said. “But I really need to check on something.”
Was he being honest? Or was he just upset because I wouldn’t allow him to have the book to destroy it? Nicolas paused at the door. He stared at me for a second, then walked out of the room.
“What was that all about?” Annabelle asked.
I shook my head. “I’m so confused. Apparently, I’ve lost the improved magic because of something Isabeau did.”
“Well, that’s not so surprising because she was bad.”
“I need to check the spell book to find the spell to stop her. Now Nicolas has flopped and wants to get rid of the book and Liam doesn’t care either way, I guess.”
“Why do you say that?”
“He caught me kissing Nicolas.”
She sat up straighter. “Oh, is he a good kisser?”
I nibbled on a piece of toast. “The best.” I stood. “I really need to check that book. If there’s a spell, then I need to do it right away.”
Annabelle stared at me. “And if there’s not a spell?”
“I don’t even want to think about that. I’ll be back in a few.”
“I hate being down here alone.” She shivered.
“You’re fine now. The ghost is gone now, remember?”
She nodded. “I guess. I’ll just take these dishes into the kitchen.”
“Thank you, Annabelle. You’re the best,” I said.
She smiled. “Now go find that spell.” She shooed me away.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
My thoughts ran wildly as I hurried up the stairs. I wished I could talk with Liam and Nicolas and get everything sorted out. But that was hopeless. I didn’t even know what my feelings were, so how could I possibly get the men sorted out?
I closed my bedroom door and pulled the books from their hiding spot. I carried them over to my bed and went through the table of contents. There was nothing that dealt with losing the power. How could it not be there? This was something that had to have come up in the past. What would I do now? I had to show the books to Liam. I hoped that I could trust him not to destroy them now. He’d be able to tell me if the spell I needed was really there. Maybe I’d just overlooked it.
I grabbed the books and headed up the next flight of stairs. A male voice floated down the hallway. I recognized Nicolas’ voice right away. Who was he talking to? I stepped over to his shut door, and pressed my ear against the wood. I couldn’t make out much, but I heard enough. He was talking about me, telling someone that I wouldn’t give up the book. Who was he talking to? Since I didn’t hear another voice, I knew he was speaking with the phone.
When his voice stopped, I hurried away. I knocked on Liam’s door and he answered right away.
“You said if I needed help to ask you.” I half-heartedly grinned.
He looked down at the book. His eyes widened and he looked back up at me. I guess he was surprised that I’d brought the books.
“I can’t find any mention of a spell to bring back the power.” I gestured toward the books in my arms.
His expression darkened—not what I’d wanted to see. This couldn’t be good news.
“I hope that I’ve just overlooked it,” I said.
“Would you like to come in?” he asked with a tilt of his head.
I glanced over toward Nicolas’ door. No noise came from the hallway, so I stepped into Liam’s room. I stepped into his room and looked around. Everything was neat and his suitcases were by the door. The bed had been made.
“Are you checking out?” I asked.
“Now that Isabeau is gone…” His words trailed off.
“I can’t believe you. You claim that my powers are gone, Mara still wants my head on a stick and you’re going to bail on me? Why did you even offer to help me?” I poked him in the chest. It was way harder than I’d expected.
He grabbed my arms. “Calm down. I’m not going anywhere. Yes, for a moment I thought about leaving, but I realize that would be a mistake. I had a job to do and I need to see it through.”
“You’re darn right you need to see it through.” I poked him in the chest again. It was like touching a rock, by the way.
He stared as if he had something else to say, but didn’t.
Finally, he said. “So the books don’t have the spell you need?”
I nodded. “Not that I can find.”
“You’re going to trust me with the books?” His left eyebrow rose a fraction.
I watched for a few seconds, then said, “Yes, I suppose I am.”
The edges of his mouth barely turned upward. But it was a start. I handed him the books. I wouldn’t lie and say that I didn’t have a moment of hesitation, but it needed to be done. I was out of options. Liam sat on the edge of the bed and I stood by the door.
He looked at me. “I won’t bite.” He smiled.
This was heading into dangerous territory. I stepped toward the bed. I wasn’t sure why I glanced over at the door on my way there. Wait. I knew why. Nicolas was the reason. Why did I care if he saw me in the room? He was acting strange anyway.
I eased down onto the bed next to Liam. My heart rate increased. I shouldn’t have been that close to him. I needed to distance myself from both men. Liam handed me one book while he opened the other. I opened my book and began flipping through the pages.
After a few minutes of silence, Liam looked at me. “May I?” he asked while holding out his hand for the other book.
I handed it to him and he handed me the other one. More silence surrounded us. Finally he closed the cover and looked at me. The expression on his face said it all.
“You may need to get some outside help on this one. Maybe there is a spell another witch knows of that we can modify.” He ran his hand through his hair.
I nodded. It wasn’t the new
s I wanted to hear, but it was the news I had to deal with.
“I’ll see what I can do,” he said, “but maybe you can ask around too.”
I nodded. “I will. I’ll contact the Coven.”
Liam stared at me, then reached up and brushed my cheek with the back of his hand. “I’m sorry if I was upset earlier. It’s your business who you kiss.”
I nodded, but I didn’t know what to say. He was right, it was my business. He leaned forward and kissed me gently on the lips. I closed my eyes, but he didn’t kiss me more. He stopped with the soft gentle kiss. I had been expecting more, or maybe wanting more. When I opened my eyes, he touched my lips with his finger.
Then Liam stood. “I’d better see what I can find.” He handed me the books.
“Thank you,” I said.
I stood and made my way to the door.
“I’ll call you when I know something.” His dark hair gleamed in the light.
I nodded and walked out of the room without looking back. I didn’t want to see his handsome face.
Chapter Forty
After hiding the books yet again, I headed back to the kitchen.
“What did you find?” Annabelle asked when I stepped back into the room. She closed the magazine she’d been looking at and waited for me to answer.
I shrugged off her concerned look. “Nothing. I think I’m in serious trouble. But I won’t worry you with that now. You didn’t come over here to hear me complain about magic.”
She waved her hand to get my attention. “Hello. I’m your friend. That’s what friends do.”
I tried to smile, but came up short. “Liam is trying to help me figure out the spell, but right now it doesn’t look good.”
She sighed. “How about we take your mind off it for a few minutes? We can plan the party.”
I nodded. “Okay, yeah, maybe that is for the best.”
It should have been a wonderful breakfast, but it had turned into little more than another bizarre game of tug-of-war between two men. Annabelle and I sat down to plan the Halloween Ball. There was a lot to be done before the party tomorrow. Too bad I couldn’t use any of my fantastic magic to help me with the planning. I’d have to do it all without the magic. What if the Coven found out that I no longer possessed special skills? They’d cancel the party and my mother would be heartbroken.
“Are you okay?” Annabelle asked.
I shook my head. “Yeah. I guess I’ll figure this out.”
“It’s not so bad,” she said. “I mean, you were doing fine before your magic changed and you’ll do fine without it. You were happy without it, right?”
I looked at her. “Yeah, you’re right. I was happy without it. I don’t need it, right? I was just trying to please everyone else.”
“Sometimes you just can’t please others though. You need to do things for yourself.” Annabelle’s cheeks glowed rosy as a smile spread across her face.
“If I’m happy, then I can make others happy too, right?” I leaned back in the chair.
“Yes, that’s the way to think of it.”
I smiled. “Thanks, Annabelle. I appreciate that you always stand by me.”
“That’s what friends are for. Now, what type of theme did you have in mind for the party?” she asked, pointing at the blank pad of paper in front of me.
“I want a traditional costume party with lots of candles and gauzy material hanging around… all done in black and white.” Visions of the grand ball flashed in my mind. Of course, in my mind the night turned out fantastically. Unfortunately things didn’t always turn out as I planned.
“Oh, that sounds beautiful,” Annabelle said.
I waved my hands through the air. “I want lots of pumpkins too. Spooky meets elegant is the theme. The men can wear tuxedos and the women can wear elegant ball gowns with elaborate feathered masks.”
“It sounds beautifully haunting,” Annabelle said wistfully.
“The good thing about the manor is it doesn’t take much to dress it up for the party.” I pinched off a piece of the now stale toast and popped into my mouth.
“That’s true.” Annabelle tapped the pen against her lip. “What about invitations? I guess everyone knows where the party is being held.”
I nodded. “Yes, but they still need official invitations. Considering they need to deliver them in the morning, I know there is magic involved. But I just have to design them. They’ll be hand-delivered.”
Annabelle reached for my pad of paper and began writing. “How about if they say something like this?” She handed the paper back to me.
In her pretty handwriting she’d written,
You’re invited to a party under the moon and stars for an evening of enchantment and celebration. Your face should not be seen on this Halloween. Your presence is requested at LaVeau Manor for Enchantment Pointe Coven’s annual Halloween Masquerade Ball.
“That is perfect,” I said. Annabelle had always had a way with words.
“How many people will be here?” she asked.
“Over a hundred, I think.” I shrugged.
“Wow, that’s a lot. What do you do for food?” Annabelle asked.
“The Coven has hired caterers. They’ll be here the day of the party to set up.” I scribbled more notes on the pad.
“Thank goodness,” Annabelle said, then immediately covered her mouth with her hand. “Oops.”
I quirked my eyebrow.
She held her hands up in surrender. “I wasn’t saying that you would be bad at preparing the food.”
I glared, then laughed. “You don’t have to say it. We all know it.”
She shook her head. “Well, yeah. I guess we do.”
After another hour, I walked Annabelle to her car. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?” she asked.
I nodded. “Yeah. I’m okay.”
“Call me if you need anything,” she said as she climbed into her car.
“I promise I will.” I watched as she pulled out of the drive and onto the road. Nicolas’ car was still parked in the drive. It would be just the two of us in the house. The thought made my stomach flip. I wanted to see him, but there was the little matter of finding a spell that was weighing on my mind.
I had to find the spell before it was too late—a spell that none of the witches at Enchantment Pointe knew how to perform. The fact that I’d lost the powers was devastating. Not because I’d lost the magic, but because the Coven would once again think I was a failure. My mother would be so disappointed.
When I turned around to go back inside, Nicolas was standing at the front door. Why did I feel the need to run into his arms? I wanted to find comfort in Nicolas’ embrace. Was what Liam and Nicolas said true? That Mara would use my power to take over the Underworld? I should trust Nicolas, so why did I doubt him? All Mara needed was to get the book and get rid of me. Given what they’d said about her apparent determination, I figured she could easily achieve this.
Nicolas wanted me to give him the book to destroy, but I wanted more answers. There had to be another way. How did he know all of this anyway? Why was he getting involved in the first place? Why was he being so secretive? I still couldn’t trust him completely, no matter how much I wanted to.
Chapter Forty-One
I forced my legs to move slowly, but it was impossible not to walk straight toward Nicolas. My gaze was locked with his and my heart pounded. I wanted to feel his lips pressed against mine; I couldn’t stop the feeling.
When I reached the door, he pulled me into him and wrapped his arms around me. He kissed me passionately, urgently, his lips moving over mine with swiftness.
When he lifted his lips from mine, he looked me in the eyes and said, “I just want to help you, Halloween. I don’t know what the right answer is for this problem, but I want to try what I think is best for you.”
“I don’t know…” I whispered.
“What Liam says is true. Isabeau intends to give your power to Mara. It’ll complete her plan to take over the Und
erworld. Her only goal is to be the leader.”
“She sounds like a lovely person,” I said drily.
“She’ll stop at nothing to get what she wants. I’ve seen it before,” he said.
“There is something that you haven’t answered for me.” I whirled the words in my head, trying to think of just the right way to ask.
